My Favorite Inspiring Quotes

Humility

Commentary by Peter Shepherd

“I believe the first test of a truly great man is in his humility.” ~ John Ruskin

Never let success go to your head. False pride is egotistic, feeling superior to others, which is why we tend to think of pride as a sin. But we can be justly proud of genuine achievements and creations that are a reflection of our love for ourselves and others - and remain humble. There's no egotism nor sin in that, indeed it is the appropriate way to feel. Such humility is based on gratitude for the opportunities we have been given.

“To be a leader means to have humility, to have respect and to serve the people that we are leading. And that type of character, that type of integrity not only brings real fulfillment to our own hearts, but also has a great effect on the lives of all the people around us.” ~ Radhanath Swami

Radhanath further says, “Caring for each other with patience, tolerance, and humility is part of what it means to walk a spiritual path.”

“True humility is staying teachable, regardless of how much you already know.” ~ anon

A humble person remains open-minded, willing to ask questions and understand more. Questions show humility, acknowledgement and respect for the past, and give you greater insights into individuals and how things work.

“Confidence and humility can easily co-exist. One requires we embrace our strengths, the other that we are aware of our weaknesses.” ~ Lisa Prosen

“Humility and patience are the surest proofs of the increase of love.” ~ John Wesley

Often we learn to be humble through suffering ourselves - we can now feel for others in like predicaments. Life's inevitable disappointments, broken hearts and lost dreams will, if you allow them, make you bitter, resentful and angry. Or you may learn from your experiences in such a way that you grow more forgiving, grateful, wise, compassionate and caring.

Every human being was born to stride across the world as a giant and leave his mark. Nothing is to be gained from our playing small. We are Gods, all of us, and we need to own our divinity and express it in the world. If you were to now throw aside the self-imposed limitations of a deluded life and claim your rightful place as a walking, breathing God, what would you do with your life? Continues...

Extraordinary love is the ability to love for the sake of love itself. This ability to radiate extraordinary love in our lives requires a paradigm shift in how we love that can fundamentally transform every relationship that we know. Unless we are willing to shift the context or the paradigm that we operate in about love, any actions we undertake will lead to only a variation of the past. Continues...

It's not all that difficult to be humble or practice humility. All you have to do is realize that every person you meet is better than you are at something. So it makes no sense to carry around a sense of pride or arrogance. Indeed, as the ancient text warns us, pride comes right before the fall. Be humble or you will stumble. Continues...

PODCAST by Peter Shepherd ~ Humility

This podcast is about humility. Humility does not mean that you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less, as Ken Blanchard said. It's about keeping an open mind, to learn from others, your experience and your own inner knowing - not having to be right all the time. Not a bad principle to start implementing in your life on January 1st, if you haven't already.